


Knowing I Can Love You For the Rest of My Life

by orphan_account



Series: soulmate fic [1]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-04
Updated: 2013-01-04
Packaged: 2017-11-23 15:17:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/623603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which the boys live in a world where soulmates exist and you know when you’ve found them by a small mark that appears on your wrist. Louis doesn’t even notice he has his until he gets home after Harry introduces him to his insufferable friend Nick.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Knowing I Can Love You For the Rest of My Life

**Author's Note:**

> come chat with me on[ tumblr](http://becauselouis.tumblr.com)

Louis stared down in horror at the small mark that had appeared on his wrist, sometime in between Nick Grimshaw sliding down into their booth at the bar and Louis storming out angrily, unable to listen to Harry’s insufferable friend for another second.

Honestly. Nick fucking Grimshaw. This had to be some kind of cosmic joke or something. The universe had got it wrong because there was absolutely _no_ way this could be _right_.

Nick Grimshaw was the most infuriating person Louis had ever met. Quite a feat considering he had only met the man little over  two hours ago.

He scrubbed his fingers desperately over the curling ‘n’, hoping in vain that it would come off. Maybe Harry was just playing a joke – it did sound like something Harry would find funny – but no matter how hard he tried, the mark would not budge. Great, just great.

He flopped back onto his bed, palms pressed tightly against his eyes, black dots swimming against his eyelids. Why him?

 

_3 hours earlier…_

_“Come on, Louis. I’m sure you’ll like him, the two of you are perfect for each other.”_

_“Harry, you have rubbish taste in men. Remember the scuba instructor?” He shivered a little at the memory, Harry looking put out._

_“Okay, I’ll admit it, Lester was a bad decision, but I do not have horrible taste in men. You like Niall just fine.”_

_Louis rolled his eyes. “Yes I do like Niall, but he’s no good to me is he.”_

_“Hey!” Niall chose that moment to walk into Louis’ living room, beer bottle in hand. Louis watched fascinated as the tiny black ‘n’ on Harry’s wrist blurred and changed to a bright red when Niall seated himself next to him._

_“Oh shush, you know what I mean.”_

_Niall grinned at him, taking a swig of his beer and settling back, placing an arm around Harry and a kiss to his cheek. Louis’ eyes narrowed in on another bottle of beer Niall had pulled seemingly out of nowhere and was handing to Harry._

_“I take it this means you’re buying tonight then, if you’re drinking all my beer.”_

_“So you will come?” Harry perked up immediately._

_Shit._

_“Fine I’ll come. But if this is even remotely similar to the jumping castle salesman, I am out of there.”_

_Niall visibly cringed at the mention of yet another disastrous date Harry had sent Louis on. “Don’t know what you were thinking there, Haz.”_

_“Maverick was nice.”_

_“His name was_ Maverick _, Harry. That should have been your first hint.”_

_Harry huffed, crossing his arms and leant further into Niall’s embrace. “Yeah, well Nick’s nice. I think you two will be great together._

_“Just as long as he’s not too Grim. Get it?_ Grim _shaw?_

_Louis’ snickers were cut short by Niall’s shoe flying into his head._

_“Louis, mate, that was so bad even Harry wouldn’t go there.”_

_Harry nodded agreeing, tracing his fingers along the ‘h’ imprinted on Niall’s wrist, before pausing. “Hey!”_

_“I’m sorry, babe, but it’s true.”_

_Harry pouted up at Niall, long fingers tugging at his shirt and a little at Louis’ heart strings as Niall leant down to place a tender kiss on Harry’s lips._

_He would find that one day and maybe getting off his couch and meeting Harry’s friend Nick would get him that one step closer._

_And so another hour later, he found himself crammed into a booth down at the local pub, staring uninterestedly at the bottom of his empty beer bottle, while Harry perched himself atop of Niall’s lap, giggling and whispering into the blonde boy’s ear._

_When the cup could no longer hold his attention – which didn’t take very long to be honest – Louis took to watching the door instead, spotting the different men who came through, scanning the bar for possible suitors._

_From what he could see, all the good ones appeared to already be mated, Louis’ eyes immediately scanning over the swirling letters tattooed to their wrists. He could feel his hope dwindling at the very, very small amount of single, desirable men in the bar. If this was a scale model for the world, he was screwed._

_Maybe if all else failed he could convince Liam to sleep with him. He was good looking enough and he absolutely adored Louis – who didn’t? – and Louis knew he wasn’t mated yet (Liam had been best mates with Harry and Louis since high school, the year before Harry met Niall.). If he was and he hadn’t told them yet, Louis would be forced to do something drastic._

_“Do you think Liam will sleep with me?” He piped up, raising his head which had previously been leaning against his palm whilst he scanned the room._

_Niall looked a little alarmed. “What?”_

_“Liam.” Louis rolled his eyes exaggeratedly. “You know our best friend Liam. He hasn’t got anyone yet either, do you reckon if we get desperate enough we can just say screw the whole soulmates thing and just bone each other instead.”_

_“You are the picture of romanticism.” Niall dead panned._

_“Louis, no!” Harry looked as though his whole world was falling apart in front of him. “You can’t just give up like that. The right man is out there somewhere, I know it.”_

_“I thought you thought you had the ‘right man’ coming here tonight.” Louis pointed out._

_“I do. And look here he comes now.” Harry inclined his head and Louis turned around to catch a glimpse of Harry’s mystery friend._

_He was tall and relatively good looking, if you ignored the horrendous hipster glasses he had resting on his nose. His hair was styled up into a quiff, easily outshined by Louis’ own, and he was wearing a simple pair of jeans and the ugliest jumper Louis had ever seen._

_He barely had time to raise a curious eyebrow at Harry, before Nick was sliding into the booth opposite him._

_“Sorry I’m late, lads. Weather out there’s horrible, had to get the car out.” He had a nice voice Louis would give him that._

_“’s alright.” Harry beamed at the newcomer. “Nick this is Louis, Louis, Nick.”_

_Nick turned his attention to Louis, his eyes slowly creeping up and down Louis’ body, taking in the striped shirt and suspenders Louis had chosen for the night, before moving up to his perfectly styled hair. Nick nodded his head at him and turned back to Harry.”_

_“Pretty isn’t he?”_

_Louis’ eyes narrowed. “_ He _has a name, you know.”_

_“Lewis, right?”_

_“It’s Lou-ee.” Louis ground his teeth, trying not to let a smug looking Nick see how irritated he was._

_Nick smirked, turning back to Harry who was biting his lip anxiously at the exchange._

_“Bit young, don’t you think?”_

_Louis scoffed indignantly. “That’s rich, what are you like 100?”_

_“I’m 28.” Nick sniffed. “Although I could see how, to a child like you, that could seem to be quite old.”_

_Louis’ eyes had narrowed so much they were practically closed._

_“Who’s up for drink?” Harry practically leapt from his seat on Niall and scrambled over Louis and out of the booth._

_“I’ll come!” Niall jumped up, moving to follow him, but stopped in his tracks and sinking back into the chair at the glare Harry sent him._

_“Louis, you come.”_

_Niall groaned, slamming his head down onto the table. Louis scrambled up from his seat and stalked over to the bar, Harry following._

_“What in the bloody_ hell _were you_ thinking _, Harry? How could you honestly think I would like this guy?”_

_“Because! The two of you are exactly the same. You both put up all these defence mechanisms for people you don’t know, but you’re not really as prickly as you seem, you’re actually all soft and cuddly. Nick’s exactly the same. If you two would stop biting each other’s heads off you might be able to see that.”_

_“I am_ nothing _like him. He is rude and arrogant and pretentious and he’s a dirty hipster. Just_ look _at that jumper. How am I supposed to date a man who dresses like that, Harry? I have a look to maintain.”_

_“That’s my jumper.”_

_“That’s beside the point.”_

_Blue eyes locked with green, the two boys staring each other down fiercely, neither backing down until they heard the bar tender clearing his throat behind them._

_“You lads going to order?”_

_“Yeah give us four pints.” Harry paused for a moment. “Actually better make it five. Niall will forever hold it against me if I don’t let him get plastered.”_

_“Why can’t I bloody get plastered? Niall’s not the one with a date from hell.”_

_“Because you have to woo Nick.”_

_“I am not ‘wooing’ anyone. Especially him.”_

_“Please, Lou. Just give him a chance. For me?”_

_Harry’s puppy dog eyes were out in full force and Louis could feel his resolve growing weaker and weaker._

_“Please.”_

_“Alright, fine. But if he says one more bloody thing about my age, I’m leaving.”_

_Harry clapped his hands on Louis’ face excitedly, smacking a loud, messy kiss to his cheek before picking up three of the beers and heading back to their booth._

_Louis followed along behind him with the remaining two, using all of his will power to resist spitting in Nick’s beer. He slid back into the booth, pushing one of the bottles across the table._

_“You spat in it didn’t you?”_

_Louis fixed Nick with his best unimpressed face in his repertoire – Niall liked to call it his ‘sass face’._

_“No I did not, Grimshaw. I’m doing this thing called being polite, you should try it some time.” To his credit he only flinched a little when Harry kicked him under the table._

_They managed to make it through the next half hour, keeping conversation fairly civil. That was until Nick indirectly insulted his green pants. Then it was downhill from there._

_“These pants are fashion. Not that you’d know.” Louis raked his eyes pointedly up and down Nick’s jumper._

_“Of course they are, darling. And they do not make your bum look big at all.”_

_Louis slammed his beer down on the table and stood up, leaning across it so he was baring down on Nick. “You listen here, Grimshaw. My ass is fantastic and these jeans make it look even better. I have had men lining down the block just to get a look at it, so you should consider yourself to be so lucky.” He rubbed at his wrist, which had been itching incessantly since Nick had arrived and picked up his coat from the seat next to him. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Haz. Bye Niall.”_

_He turned on his foot and stalked towards the exit, studiously ignoring Nick’s “Bye darling” that followed behind him._

_He stepped out into the bitter air, hailing down a taxi, muttering under his breath about horrible hipsters._

_It was only when he was in the cab, on his way home, that he spared a glance for his itching wrist, hoping he had some cream to soothe it at home. And there it was. The small ‘n’, currently a dark maroon, fading into black the further they drove away from the pub._

_Shit._

 

“Do you think it’s possible for the universe to get your soulmate wrong?” Harry, Louis and Niall were curled up on the couch in their friend Zayn’s flat, beers in hand, watching the footie on tv. 

“What do you mean?” Zayn asked from his position on the bean bags, next to Liam.

“Like it gives you a mark, but they accidentally give it for the wrong person, so they’re not actually your soulmate at all?”

“I don’t think that’s how it works, Lou.” Liam’s brow was furrowed as he reached for the remote, turning down the television. There were now four sets of eyes trained on Louis.

“Why do you ask?”

“I um – I may have gotten my mark?”

It was silent for a moment, before Louis found himself buried underneath a pile of excited boys.

“Lou, that’s great!” Niall cheered. “Drinks all round!”

The other three cheered raucously.

“Guys, _no_.” Louis groaned from underneath his friends. “I don’t _want_ to be marked to him.”

“What?” Zayn, Liam and Niall looked confused. Harry looked as though he was on the edge of figuring out the whole thing.

“He’s pretentious and rude and annoying and insufferable and – “

“I’ve heard this before.” Harry cut in, his face slowly morphing into a triumphant grin. “It’s Nick isn’t it? Show me your mark!”

“No.” Louis exclaimed, drawing his wrist back from Harry’s grasp at the same time Niall let out a dramatic

“ _No_. Haz you saw the two of them, there’s no way that could be it. Right, Lou?”

Louis looked absolutely miserable. He really, really wanted to deny it.

“No.” Niall gasped again, Harry elbowing him in the side to quiet him.

“Well he can’t be that bad since he’s yours now.” Zayn pointed out, withering a little under the glare Louis sent him.

“Shut up, Mr My-soulmate-just-so-happened-to-be-the-girl-of-my-dreams. He is absolutely unbearable and I refuse to believe that he is my Perrie.”

“But, Lou he is! You two actually managed to get along really well until he accidentally insulted your bum and when you left he said he didn’t really mean it. He thinks your bum is spectacular.”

“He called me fat, Harold. That was no accident.”

“Louis, come on. Harry said he didn’t mean it, he was probably just nervous, this goes both ways remember. Even if you didn’t get along the first time, you need to give him another chance. You’re stuck with him now after all.” Liam interrupted.

“Why d’you have to be so reasonable?” Louis grumbled, leaning his head against Liam’s shoulder, who wrapped his arm around him, stroking up and down Louis’ arm.

“You should call him.” There was Harry again, crawling to cuddle into Louis’ other side, phone in hand with Nick’s number lit across the screen. “He’s probably having as hard a time wrapping his head around it as you are.”

Louis hesitated, staring down at Nick’s number. “Yeah okay.”

Liam squeezed his shoulder encouragingly.

“You can use my room, Lou.” Zayn told him, sending him a supportive smile.

“Good luck.” Harry whispered, kissing him on the cheek, Niall nodding along with his boyfriend.

Louis took Harry’s phone with him, making his way down the hall and into Zayn’s bedroom, which was scattered with both his and Perrie’s belongings.

He waited a moment, gathering up his courage before pressing the call button and lifting the phone to his ear, listening to the dial tone ringing out.

“Haz, I’m glad you called. I need to talk to you.” Nick sounded harried, Louis could hear a rustling down the other end of the line and Nick let out a frustrated groan. “God fucking damn it. I cannot get these bloody sheets clean. Look what your twinky friend has done to me, Harold. I’m _cleaning_ , like proper cleaning.”

“Um.” It wasn’t Louis’ most eloquent moment but it got Nick’s attention.

“Who is this?” His voice sounded stiffer, more weary.

“Twinky friend here.” Louis volunteered to him. “Hi. I thought maybe we should talk.”

“You thought or Harry thought?”

“Does it really matter either way?”

“No I suppose it doesn’t.” Nick conceded, the rustling noise picking up once more, filling the silence that fell between them.

“So um, I’m guessing you got one too then?” Louis ventured nervously, turning his wrist so the ‘n’ was visible once more.

“I did as a matter of fact. Thought it was Harry playing a joke.”

Louis snorted. “Sorry, it’s just – I thought the same thing actually.”

“Not very trustworthy is he, he’s quite shifty.” Nick’s voice, although still strained, had a light, joking tone to it that helped to put Louis at ease.

“I thought, I mean I was thinking, maybe we could meet up?” He let the question hang between them.

“You could come over?” Nick finally ventured. “I’m just down the road from Harry. I can make you lunch or something?”

“Oh no, that’s alright. I mean I’ll come, but you don’t have to make me anything, don’t want to be any trouble.” Louis cringed internally, thinking how differently this conversation was going to the on last night.

“Darling, I love trouble. I’ll see you soon yeah?”

Louis breathed out a quiet “yeah” and hung up the phone, staring down at his shoes for a few minutes, working up the courage to go back out to his friends.

Eventually he got up and made his way out, handing his phone back to Harry and picking up his keys from the couch. “Gonna go see him. So we can talk and stuff.”

The boys wished him luck, Niall initiating another dog pile, Louis once again at the centre, before letting him out the door.

The trip to Nick’s place didn’t take long, around 15 minutes later he found himself pushing the buzzer marked n.grimshaw, waiting for Nick to buzz him up.

The door beeped and Louis pushed his way through, up the staircase and down the first floor corridor until he reached the door with Nick leaning casually against the frame, wearing track pants and a Dr Dre tee this time.

“Hi.” Louis mumbled, scuffing his shoes nervously on the hall carpet.

“Come in.” Nick gestured him through the doorway, watching Louis kick his shoes off before leading him into the living room. “I realized after I hung up I have no food, but I did make some tea.”

Louis accepted the mug gratefully, wincing a little at the sugar Nick had clearly stirred in but keeping his mouth shut.

“So” Nick cleared his throat. “We’re in love then.”

“Is that how it works then?” Louis asked, properly looking at Nick for the first time since he arrived, taking in Nick’s messed up hair and bags under his eyes – yeah he wasn’t handling it well either.

“You tell me.” Nick said dryly, Louis shrugged.

“I don’t really know how I feel. Last night I was sure I hated you, and now,” he trailed off.

“I know exactly what you mean.”

“Harry says it’s because we’re so alike.

“Yes, he would say that, wouldn’t he. What do you think then?”

“I think, maybe I didn’t give you a proper chance. I think I was probably just as much in the wrong because I put up defence mechanisms when it comes to new people and if they actually try and call me on it I don’t really give them a chance. Don’t ever tell Harry I said that though, because he’ll gloat for years.”

“You know he says the same thing to me? But I think for me it’s more I’m so used to people liking me, that I don’t know what to do when someone doesn’t. You are a conundrum to me, Louis Tomlinson.”

Louis snorted. “Well by the sounds of things someone needs to take you down a few pegs. Can’t let your head get any bigger.”

“Are you volunteering darling?”

Louis’ laughter caught in his throat, his eyes locking with Nick’s. “I think I’d like to try.” He managed, watching Nick’s face slowly bloom into a smile.

“I think I’d be quite alright with you trying.”

The rest of the day was spent bantering amongst themselves, slowly inching closer and closer to one another until Louis was practically in Nick’s lap – surprisingly when he was he found he didn’t mind at all, he could definitely get used to being curled up in Nick. He may have atrocious taste in clothing but Louis would forgive him because he smelt like musk and tea and strangely a little of home.

That night Louis was fully prepared to make the trek home, Nick even walked him to the front of his building. But then Nick leant down and kissed Louis and suddenly Louis felt as though he was flying. His stomach was twisting deliciously, lips tingling. There might be something to this soulmates thing, he thought to himself as they kissed, pulling away only when he began to feel breathless.

“Stay.” Nick murmured, pressing his lips back to Louis’, eyes pleading.

“Yeah, course.” Louis agreed, grabbing onto Nick’s hand and allowing himself to be led back up the stairs.

As they walked back he looked down at their hands joined between them and saw the ‘l’ on Nick’s wrist, glowing radiantly up at him.

He reached his other hand over to stroke at the curling letter, Nick smiling softly as he did so.

They walked into Nick’s room, falling down onto the bed, Louis immediately curling up into Nick’s chest, resting his palm just below Nick’s shoulder, his own letter gleaming up at Nick.

Nick grasped Louis’ hand bringing it up to his face and pressed his lips against Louis’ ‘n’, then placed Louis’ hand back where it was, the two drifting slowly off to sleep.

When Louis woke the next morning to an empty bed and the smell of bacon wafting down the hall, he would have two messages on his phone.

One from Harry saying: _I’m glad everything worked out, Lou. Love you xxx_

And one from Liam. _i’ve finaly mt the grl of my dream  shes perfict!!!_

 

The next time he would see his friends, Niall and Harry would be curled around one another on the floor, so tightly Louis wouldn’t be able to tell where one began and the other ended.

Zayn and Perrie would be in the kitchen, cooking up a storm, giggling sweetly as they smeared icing along one anothers lips.

Liam would come in a bit later, hand holding tightly to a girl with big curly hair and mocha coloured skin, the letter ‘d’ shining a bold red on his wrist.

And Louis would be with Nick, cuddled up in his lap, head resting atop Nick’s shoulder, their hands intertwined in Louis’ lap. Louis would look up at Nick with a smile on his face, the words of his friends blurring into nothing as he’s focused on the face of the man he didn’t think he could love, but now can’t imagine ever being without.

“I love you.” He’ll say once, and then again. And a million times after as well. 


End file.
